OPINION: It's not a comment you'll hear very much these days - for good reason - but Hamilton City Council made a good decision late last week.

A muck-raking account of Tinsel Town's early history and the studio era, the book is a classic, celebrated as much for who wrote it as it is for the lurid content.

NZ First leader Winston Peters soon made his presence felt when Parliament got down to business for the first time since the election.

OPINION: If the mayors and councillors let the chief executive and his staff run the outfit to their own satisfaction and rules, then they are to blame for the inevitable shortcomings that follow.

Like many small towns in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Te Kuiti is situated in a valley between two ranges.

OPINION: I don't know if others think this way, but it's clear that if you buy a soft drink because you're celebrating "Bromitment", there's something horribly wrong with you.

OPINION: Thus ended 20 years of mainstream movie exhibition in the heart of the city. It was a whimper, not a bang.

Monday - Hit the bag with my right hand and think positive thoughts.

I was carefully brought up by parents who had social rules for all manner of occasions, but nothing in my past instruction had ever covered the public display of a cockroach in one's wallet.

I have had a holiday, but stress has mounted since I have been back at work. The first thing was the computer breaking down.

OPINION: Boris Johnson, the colourful Mayor of London, urged Britons this week to stop hating the affluence of the top 1 per cent.

OPINION: It would be a curious experiment if the young man - probably a working class lad - was able confront Defence Minister Jonathon Coleman with his story.

OPINION: I'm sorry we upset the British with our antics in London on Waitangi Day. They're not used to this sort of thing.

All power to boutique grocer Nosh for shaming the supermarkets over the price of fresh milk.

OPINION: What country in its right mind would be happy with a situation in which its national day is more a day of shame than celebration.

Non-Maori may well wonder about the opportunities they will be given to voice their opinions.

Alcohol causes way too many problems in New Zealand and it's costing us a fortune in court costs, cops, ambulances and ACC claims.

Dear the Right Honourable Mr Prime Minister John Key, won't you please be friends with me?

At the moment it does feel rather difficult to be orphaned at 45.

New Zealand agri-businesses are exposed to many risks, including bad weather, volatile commodity prices and an unreliable dollar.